Improvement in cotton-presses



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ZACHARIAH ATKINSON, OF RICHMOND, GEORGIA.

IMPROVEIVI ENT IN COTTONHPRESSES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 22,775, dated February 1, 1859.

To a/ZZ whom it may concern.'

' Be it known that I, ZACHARIAH ATKINSON, of the county of Richmond and State of Georgia, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Cotton-Presses; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full and exact description thereof, reference bein g had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon.

My invention consists of an improvement iuV double-lever Vcotton-presses by the use of cam-rollers. p

In the accompanying drawings, Figure l is an end view of a plantation cotton-press containing` my improvement. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the same, the motion being indicated by dotted red lines.

The press may have any suitable frame, A, provided with a box, B, into which the cotton is placed to be pressed. This box has the usual cover, b, which slides horizontally upon the bar a, opening and closing the box at pleasure. Vithin the box B is asliding bottom or follower, which has a perpendicular motion. This follower is represented at C, Fig. 2, the black dotted lines showing its position when down, and the red dotted lines showing the same when pushed up in pressing the cotton. This follower O rests upon the levers D, which in turn are supported upon brace-levers E, connected with the cani-rollers F. These rollers rest upon the lower cross-bar of the frame. By means of the windlass-wheel G the shaft g is set in motion, winding up the rope H, thus `forcing the lower ends of the levers D toward each other and elevating the follower G, as seen in red dotted lines, Fig. 2. The ends of 4the two rollers F are connected by two yokes,

I, fitted upon short journals. These journals oseillated or rocked backward and forward upon the cross-bar of the frame A. Upon turning the windlass G and drawing up the ropes II, the lower ends of the levers D are brought toward each other. This pushes the upper ends of levers E toward each other, and rocks the rollers F upon the cross-bar of the frame A. As the levers D and E are elevated, the cams f come more and more into action, so as to operate very powerfully at the last moment of motion, when the levers D and E approach lthe perpendicular position, and the force of the windlass upon them is increased. By this simple arrangement of cams the elevating-power ot' the press is much increased at the moment when the bale of cotton is nearly compressed to its proper .size and the greatest force is required. The bearing of the cam-rollers being upon the cross-bar of the frame, and not upon their journals in yokes I, the necessary friction of journal-bearings is avoided. The cams f do not slide upon the cross-bar, but change their bearing by a rocking motion, which constantly brings the points of support nearer to the perpendiculars falling from the upper or lifting ends of levers D. Therefore my carn-rollers afford great advantage to the press by saving friction by giving an increase of motion when the levers have reached the position to afford the greatest power, and also by increasing the power of the levers by giving to them a more nearly perpendicular thrust during the latter part of their stroke.

Having thus fully described my invention, 

